Worcester City Hall. File photo
Boston design firm Utile has been chosen to head up a newly-launched citywide planning effort in Worcester, just as the city seems poised to enter an economic boom period.
The planning process, called “Worcester Now | Next,” will generate a long-range plan mapping out how the city should tackle questions of housing, land use, environment, transportation and economic development. The plan will also try and knit together prior initiatives covering individual neighborhoods, the city said in its announcement.
“Now is the time to build on Worcester’s recent successes,” Mayor Joseph M. Petty said in a statement. “This is an opportunity to ensure Worcester thrives as the heart of the Commonwealth for generations to come.”
The 18 month-long process, which will conclude with a draft report in January 2023 and a final version due to the city Planning Board by May of that year, kicks off with an intensive period of community engagement including a three-month, citywide survey of “issues and opportunities” residents want addressed and a summer “listening tour” throughout the city. It’s not yet clear whether the plan will produce specific rezoning recommendations.
Utile will be working with consulting firms HR&A for economic development, Nelson Nygaard for transportation planning, Brown Rowe Richardson for open space and recreation strategy and Rivera Consulting for equity and engagement.
